1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method whereby a system that is configured by multiple hosts operating with mutually different operating systems has the same disks in common, and integratedly manages data, and more particularly to a method for handling the data on all of these disks by a user interface screen.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, with down-sizing being widely implemented, work conventionally done by mainframe computers has come to be processed by open systems configured of personal computers or work stations or the like. When a disk device is accessed from a host, with a mainframe, the disk is accessed via an interface standardized so that a cylinder number, head number, and record number are designated, and a data record is transferred in a count key data format. With an open system, on the other hand, the disk is accessed via an interface standardized so that a logical block address is designated and a data block is transferred. For that reason, disks generally used with a mainframe cannot be accessed with an open system. Conversely, disks used with an open system cannot be accessed with a mainframe. In order to resolve such problems as these, a computer system has been disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H9-258908/1997 that, in a system wherein a plurality of hosts are connected to one disk, accesses data from the hosts and shares data in common. Application programs have also been developed that are able to access disks that are formatted differently. With these, however, the user consciously performs data transfers between the mainframe and the open system by accessing a disk either directly or via a LAN, and data are held and used respectively on the mainframe end and on the open system end.
This is the same also in data warehouse or on-line processing of recent years. The operations end up being such that on-line processing wherewith the latest data are always handled and updating processing comes in every time is still implemented on the mainframe end, and only data warehouse type processing wherewith data of some time period are replicated and used even if not the latest data is implemented on the open system.
Conventionally, for data handled by a mainframe host, a count key data format is used. Data handled by an open system are in logical block format. It is therefore necessary for data to be separately held on the mainframe end and on the open system end. In order to use data between two different hosts, moreover, the user must be conscious of the host handling those data and the data format thereof, and implement such procedures for using data after transferring those data from the host managing those data to the host that will use those data, and transferring the data back again after they are used.
In the present invention, by loading an application capable of reading and writing data that are in the count key data format, into an open system host, a count key data volume is accessed from both the mainframe host and the open system host. That data share volume is then displayed on a user interface screen on the open system host. For that reason, a user is able to access data using the user interface screen as though handling his or her own local files, without being conscious of accessing data managed by a mainframe or other host, and without implementing procedures for transferring data from a host managing those data to a host that will use those data.
By connecting to a disk controller in conjunction with using switches or the like, moreover, access becomes possible to all data sharing disks connected in an SAN environment.
The information processing system of the present invention has: a first disk device for storing data in a first format; a first upper level device for accessing data in the first format, connected to the first disk device, and having management means for managing the first disk device; a second disk device for storing data in a second format; and a second upper level device that comprises interface means having a display unit and an input unit, is connected to the first disk device and the second disk device, and accesses data of the first disk device in the first format and data of the second disk device in the second format; wherein the interface means have, in the display unit, a first area for displaying data of the first disk device and a second area for displaying data of the second disk device, instruct, from the input unit, transfers of data between the first disk device and the second disk device by designating data in the first area or the second area and moving the designated data to an area at moving destination thereof, and perform movements of data, by instruction, between the first disk device and the second disk device.
In other words, in the information processing system based on the present invention, data are stored in a disk device having a count key data format that is the first format. To this disk device are connected a mainframe that accesses data using a cylinder number, head number, and record number as the address, and an open system that accesses data with a logical block address that is the second format. In the open system, moreover, an application is loaded that is capable of accessing data by designating a cylinder number, head number, and record number. And a utility having information on all data sets is loaded on the mainframe. That utility contains functions for managing the condition of the data sets, and functions for sharing the conditions of the data sets with another open system by communicating via a LAN with a communications utility on the other open system.
The user interface screen on the open system makes it possible to display names of all data sets in a data share storage volume, and to refer to and/or update the contents of the data sets. It also becomes possible to copy the data sets on a local disk on the open system.
When updating a data set, via the communications utility, it is possible to subject that data set to exclusive control so that it is not accessed from another system and either access the data set via the application, or to effect that by the same kind of control as with all the open system logical block volumes.